Concerns about reconfiguration of a county road intersection within a stone’s throw of her front door brought out the teacher in Linda Honas. IN OTHER NEWS:
With the use of visual aids, she pleaded with Allen County commissioners Tuesday to reconsider removal of a sweeping curve that connects 600 Street to Hawaii Road and makes it a T-intersection.
Honas displayed a home ornament covered with dust, which “I dusted just last week,” and carried a flashlight, which she shined in commissioners’ faces to show what it was like to have vehicle headlights bearing down on her home each night. Honas said those personal concerns were exacerbated by the change.
Also, trucks screeching to a halt and then accelerating disturb her sleep, she claimed.
The project will result in southbound traffic having to stop at the intersection, while that running east or west will be uncontrolled.
Honas said she thought the new configuration was inappropriate, given that Hawaii became a rock road west of the intersection. Meanwhile, 600 Road, a popular short-cut between Humboldt and U.S. 54 west of Iola, is hard-surfaced, as is Hawaii on to Humboldt.
“There’ve been no wrecks there in 30 years,” Honas declared, and proposed that the change might lead to mishaps with no control of vehicles coming off a rock road.
Commissioners Dick Works and Jim Talkington — Tom Williams was absent — said the change was for safety’s sake. So did Bill King, director of Public Works.
King said several similar intersections in the county had been changed to T-intersections and those left eventually would be.
“It’s a safety and sight distance issue,” King said.
For practical purposes, Honas’ protest was after the fact.
King told the Register work to create the T-intersection had been done and chip-seal to complete the project was scheduled this week.
— Commissioners seemed to backtrack on their pledge to give The Iola Register the privilege of publishing county business. In January, commissioners voted to designate the Humboldt Union as the county’s official newspaper with the caveat that news pertinent to all county residents be published in both the Union and the Register.
On Tuesday, commissioners hedged on that commitment when they were alerted that neither the county budget nor the record of delinquent property taxes had been made available to the Register.
Commissioner Works requested a quote for the Register’s business before agreeing to give it the business to print delinquent property taxes and to also reduce the number of times it printed in the Register from three to one time.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Register received the county budget, which will be posted in Thursday’s newspaper.
— Ron Holman, in charge of courthouse maintenance, was instructed to get additional bids for a handrail to assist those coming to the west entrance of the courthouse, where new steps are being constructed. He had one proposal. Holman also was given permission to look into additional trees for the courthouse lawn, as well as at least one to plant outside the 911 dispatch center, 410 N. State St.
— Iola Administrator Carl Slaugh said he would have more information about countywide ambulance service now under Iola’s control after the city’s next Council meeting, in the absence of a letter spelling out Iola’s intention to terminate its contract with Allen County.
In a 3-to-2 vote city council members decided Aug. 11 to trigger a six-month termination clause in the five-year contract if renegotiation of the contract didn’t occur.
Slaugh said a joint meeting between city and county officials scheduled for next Tuesday night had been postponed.
— Commissioners voted to form a county food council, the Allen County Growing Rural Opportunities Works Food Policy Council. Up to 16 members will be appointed by commissioners.
Run-up to the council, supported by a three-year $100,000 grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, included visits to city governing bodies and others by Debbie Bearden and Damaris Kunkler, of Thrive Allen County.
“We’ve talked to a lot of people and we’re in the second year of the grant,” Kunkler said.
Aims of the council will be to ensure adequate and healthy food for Allen County residents, as well as to develop and strengthen economic aspects of food delivery through existing and new programs.
— Commissioners agreed to sell the old James Implement building, just north of the 911 center, for its appraised value of $32,000, plus cost of improvements. County Counselor Alan Weber said a local manufacturer, now working from his garage, was interested.
Road work draws ire
